Chapter 9: Half a Month Later
The so-called Technique of Reflecting the Mind referred to channeling one's inner emotions and thoughts as spiritual intent and transmitting them through the eyes.
By doing so, it disrupted the target's senses and affected their judgment.
On the surface, it appeared to be a perfectly ordinary visual-type genjutsu. But anyone who truly understood it would realize—that wasn't the case at all.
The most obvious contradiction lay in its learning difficulty compared to its actual effectiveness.
According to the scroll, the Technique of Reflecting the Mind was classified as A-rank in difficulty, yet its practical effects didn't even surpass some C-rank genjutsu of the same type.
If Seimei's parents had wanted to learn genjutsu, they would never have chosen this one.
And yet, they did.
Moreover, they had carefully preserved it.
There was only one reason for this: the technique was said to assist members of the Uchiha clan in awakening the Sharingan.
Well…
At least, that's what the scroll claimed.
The shinobi world had never lacked visionary minds, and the Uchiha were no exception.
Long ago, some members of the clan had come to realize the flaws of the Sharingan—it was not only difficult to awaken but also prone to pushing people toward extremes.
They began to wonder: could there be a gentler method to awaken the Sharingan and make the process more controllable?
If so, it would not only strengthen the Uchiha clan but also stabilize its internal structure.
That was when the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan entered their consideration.
Also one of the Three Great Dōjutsu, the Byakugan had a much more tempered awakening process.
Even those with diluted bloodlines could gradually activate it through rigorous training upon reaching adulthood.
This was something the Sharingan simply couldn't offer.
The Uchiha's Sharingan required intense emotional stimulus to awaken.
And once someone reached adulthood, their worldview was largely set.
They'd already gone through most of life's trials, and unless they experienced some major trauma again, it was nearly impossible to awaken the Sharingan after coming of age.
Thus, they considered studying the Hyuga clan's training methods to develop a similar regimen for the Sharingan.
The Technique of Reflecting the Mind was born from that line of thought.
Its principle was to mimic the mental and chakra-state changes that occurred in the brain when the Sharingan's hypnotic power activated—then to reverse-engineer that stimulation, targeting the visual and nervous systems, as well as body cells and mental focus, to trigger the awakening of the Sharingan.
It was, in essence, like creating a fertile bed where the power of the bloodline could take root and flourish.
They succeeded—and failed.
They succeeded in that the Technique of Reflecting the Mind could indeed assist in awakening the Sharingan.
They failed because its effects were far too faint.
According to the scroll, more than one Uchiha had trained in the technique, but not a single one had managed to awaken the Sharingan through it.
If the original developer hadn't firmly sworn to its effectiveness—and if awakened Sharingan users hadn't confirmed that the technique could indeed promote the Sharingan's evolution to some degree—
Most would've assumed it was just a well-meaning lie.
But due to its extremely high learning threshold and barely measurable results, the technique ultimately became a chicken rib—tasteless, but wasteful to discard.
After all, those who already had the Sharingan didn't need it, and those without it would find it almost useless even after mastering it.
With that, it was no wonder the technique was neglected.
Now, only a handful of Uchiha who refused to settle for mediocrity still tried to cultivate it. Most had never even heard of it.
So it was no surprise Seimei hadn't known either.
In hindsight, it was clear that his parents had preserved the technique because they too had ambitions beyond the ordinary.
Unfortunately, they died on the battlefield before they could master it.
But Seimei would carry on their legacy.
He would awaken the Sharingan through this technique—becoming the first person in Uchiha history to do so.
Others might be limited by talent, or give up due to a lack of patience, unable to train the Technique of Reflecting the Mind to a higher level.
But Seimei would not.
With the proficiency panel in hand, every bit of progress was visible and tangible.
As long as the technique proved to be genuinely effective, Seimei would not give it up.
This would be his key to scaling the summit.
"Hu—"
Letting out a long breath and calming his emotions, Seimei picked up the scrolls containing the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and the Technique of Reflecting the Mind, then left the study.
In the next half month, he planned to devote half his focus to training in this ninjutsu and genjutsu.
He didn't expect to master them—just becoming familiar would be enough.
Judging from the current liveliness in the village, the front lines hadn't fully collapsed yet. That likely meant they wouldn't immediately send rookies like him to the battlefield.
Which gave him a little more time to prepare.
By then, once he reached entry-level mastery of the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, it could serve as a trump card. At the same time, he could test the effects of the Technique of Reflecting the Mind.
If possible, it would be best to awaken the Sharingan—that way, he would have one more means of self-preservation on the battlefield.
With this in mind, Seimei began his training for the night.
······
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
It was now late September.
Only one week remained until the graduation assessment.
After reviewing the exam content, Seimei immediately applied for a full week of leave, planning to dedicate all his energy to training.
Normally, such a request would be difficult to approve, but at this stage, as long as the reason was valid, Sugi Kiichiro wouldn't object.
Back at home, Seimei opened his panel.
[Name]: Uchiha Seimei
[Age]: 10
[Constitution]: 5
[Spirit]: 7
[Chakra]: 16（192 → 372）
[Bloodline]: Sharingan · Not Awakened（51/100）
[Skills]:
Chakra Refinement Technique: Lv1（1/200）→ Lv1（91/200）
Clone Technique: Lv1（20/200）→ Lv1（95/200）
Transformation Technique: Lv1（19/200）→ Lv1（94/200）
Substitution Technique: Lv1（18/200）→ Lv1（93/200）
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique: Lv0（30/100）
Technique of Reflecting the Mind: Lv0（30/100）
Basic Taijutsu: Lv1（65/200）→ Lv1（185/200）
Tool Throwing: Lv2（42/500）→ Lv2（120/500）
Over the past two weeks, he had spent six hours each night diligently training in the Chakra Refinement Technique.
Thanks to the power of the Lv1 effect, his chakra capacity increased by 12 points each day—totaling 180 points over fifteen days.
As a result, compared to half a month ago, his chakra capacity had nearly doubled, rising from 192 to 372.
Casting the Three Body Techniques required roughly twenty chakra per use. With 372 chakra, he could now perform them eighteen or nineteen times in a row.
That level of chakra control and stamina was equivalent to what a typical Genin could manage at best.
In other words, excluding actual battle experience, his strength was now no weaker than a seasoned Genin.
However, as his chakra increased, Seimei had begun to faintly sense a limit approaching.
This wasn't the limit of the Chakra Refinement Technique itself, but of his physical body.
The technique only accelerated the efficiency of tapping into potential—it didn't directly raise the body's maximum capacity.
If his body was a wooden bucket, then the Chakra Refinement Technique was the ladle used to fill it.
How much water the bucket could hold didn't depend on the size of the ladle, but on the size of the bucket.
Constitution: 5. Spirit: 7.
Clearly, his bucket wasn't large enough.
In other words, his body had a ceiling. Once chakra growth reached a certain threshold, it would stop progressing.
At that point, unless he raised his body's limits, even maxing out the Chakra Refinement Technique would be meaningless.
Fortunately, as time passed and his training in Basic Taijutsu continued, he could faintly feel his constitution improving.
That meant his physical limit was still steadily increasing.
(End of Chapter)